北歐式健走對老年運動效果影響之系統性回顧

Influence of Nordic Walking on Exercise Effectiveness in Older Adults: A Systematic Review

目的
受到人口高齡化及預防保健概念的影響下，北歐式健走運動方式已成為社區民眾執行的運動項目之一。相關北歐式健走執行在老年族群的文獻探討上，並未對老年運動效果影響提出一致性的看法。因此，本研究目的為北歐式健走對老年運動效果影響之系統性回顧。
方法
以系統性文獻回顧法分析資料，文獻搜尋範圍自2022年11月起至2023年9月止，發表於台灣期刊論文索引系統、華藝線上圖書館、CINAHL（Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health）、Cochrane Library、PubMed/ MEDLINE、ProQuest等六個中、英文資料庫。納入條件為：一、受試者（Population）為健走運動老年人；二、介入措施（Intervention）為北歐式健走；三、對照組（Comparison）為傳統健走或未具運動習慣者；四、研究成果（Outcome）為介入型成果指標，包含心肺功能、身體功能或身體平衡感等。排除條件為非北歐式健走成效之研究、年齡小於65歲者、系統性文獻回顧、非全文文獻等。共13篇文章符合篩選標準，以Jadad Score進行研究品質評析。
結果
研究結果顯示北歐式健走運動處方以12週為主要運動週期，當中建議每週應運動3次。運動成效中顯示，北歐式健走有助提升老年人在體適能、動態平衡與心血管功能上成效。多數文獻並未提及北歐式健走在老年運動上風險，一篇資料建議運動執行過程中應有指導員在旁監測，以確認運動執行正確性。
結論
本研究可作為設計老年族群執行北歐式健走運動處方之參酌，進而提升社區長者健康。

Purposes
With the influence of population aging and an increasing emphasis on preventive health care, Nordic walking has become a popular physical activity among community dwellers. Given that the existing literature on Nordic walking among older adult populations has reported inconsistent findings regarding the influence on exercise effectiveness, the aim of the present study was to conduct a systematic review of its influence on exercise effectiveness for this population.
Methods
Data were analyzed using systematic review methodology. A literature search was performed to retrieve articles published between November 2022 and September 2023 in six Chinese- and English-language databases (i.e., National Central Library (NCL) Taiwan Periodical Literature Database System, Airiti Library, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL), Cochrane Library, PubMed/MEDLINE, and ProQuest). The inclusion criteria follow: (1) subjects were older adults who engaged in walking exercise; (2) Nordic walking was adopted as the intervention measure; (3) the control group comprised individuals who engaged in conventional walking exercise or did not have an exercise routine; and (4) research outcomes were intervention-related outcome indicators, including cardiopulmonary function, physical function, or body balance. Exclusion criteria were as follows: (1) studies on the effectiveness of non-Nordic walking interventions; (2) subjects aged <65 years; (3) systematic reviews; and (4) non-full-text articles. Thirteen articles fulfilled the screening criteria and were assessed for methodological quality using the Jadad score.
Results
Results indicated that prescribed Nordic walking exercise adopted in the studies were mainly developed based on a 12-week cycle, with a recommended exercise frequency of three sessions per week. An analysis of exercise effectiveness revealed that Nordic walking improved physical fitness, dynamic balance, and cardiovascular function in older adults. Most of the articles did not discuss the risks of Nordic walking as an exercise for older adults. One study suggested that an instructor could be present to supervise exercise sessions and ensure the use of proper walking techniques.
Conclusions
The results of this review can serve as a reference for prescribing Nordic walking exercise for older adult populations, which will contribute to better health among older community dwellers.